There is a large demand for 3D glass covers for portable electronic devices such as laptops, tablets, and smart phones. A particularly desirable 3D glass cover has a combination of a 2D surface, for interaction with a display of an electronic device, and a 3D surface, for wrapping around the edge of the display. The 3D surface may be an undevelopable surface, i.e., a surface that cannot be unfolded or unrolled onto a plane without distortion, and may include any combination of bends, corners, and curves. The bends may be tight and steep. The curves may be irregular. Such 3D glass covers are complex and difficult to make with precision using machining processes such as grinding and milling. Thermal reforming has been used to successfully form 3D glass articles from 2D glass sheets in other types of applications.
The present invention relates to a system that enables use of thermal reforming to make 3D glass covers such as described above. The present invention also relates to a process of forming a plurality of 3D glass articles with consistent shapes and high dimensional accuracy.